"How many people... are in your village?"
Kibutsuji Muzan's calm voice sounded right above Shoji's head. It was just a calm inquiry, yet it carried an irresistible oppression that pressed down relentlessly on her very life.
"...."
Trembling with fear, having just witnessed the other person eating a human alive, Shoji naturally could not help but view Muzan as a demon bent on slaughtering her people. Even so, she still refused to reveal any information about her village.
*Well now... she has quite a strong will.*
Muzan thought to himself.
"I have no intention of slaughtering anyone. Answer my question."
Muzan looked down at Shoji with his hands in his pockets. He was telling the truth; he was already well-fed, and he had no reason to indiscriminately murder an entire village of people.
"R-Reporting... about forty-odd people."
It wasn't Shoji who spoke, but another woman behind her. Clearly, seeing Shoji stubbornly refuse to give up any information had terrified her; she didn't want to die, she wanted to live.
"Aali!"
Shoji was shocked. She truly hadn't expected the close friend she spent her days and nights with to so casually blurt out the village's population to the monster in front of them.
Muzan shifted his gaze away from Shoji and onto the woman named Aali.
"Sir... our village has over forty people, mostly the elderly, women, and children, with very few men...."
"Are there any samurai? Or other samurai from out of town?"
Muzan asked.
"No... we, our village hasn't had anyone from outside for over a dozen years. We've never encountered any strangers!"
Thinking her information wasn't enough, Aali blurted everything out in one breath.
*It's over.*
Clenching her fists in bitter frustration, Shoji... but what could she do? She truly couldn't interfere with other people's lives and deaths. People were selfish; some wanted to live so badly they would tell a stranger who ate humans all about their home, while others held the firm resolve to die rather than let the hometown they grew up in be destroyed.
"Please don't hurt the others in the village! I'm willing—I'm willing to offer myself to you!"
Shoji slammed her head to the ground, speaking almost in a plea.
Though her husband was already dead, the grandpas and grandmas next door who had watched her grow up were still alive, and she didn't want them to die.
"....."
Looking at the stubborn woman who had nearly knocked herself out, Muzan was utterly speechless inwardly.
"When did I ever say I was going to kill them?"
Muzan said in a very helpless tone.
He had clearly just stated he wasn't going to kill anyone... why was this girl's brain so slow?
Besides, even if he wanted to go, did he really need to ask these people? He merely wanted to know if the Demon Slayer Corps had beaten him to it.
"Eh?"
Stunned, Shoji raised her head.
Because of the kowtow, blood had already seeped from her forehead, and it was now trickling down past her eyes.
"Your village is too poor and weak, which is why you got bullied by bandits, isn't it?"
Muzan reached out and touched Shoji's face.
Feeling the cool sensation on her cheek, Shoji unexpectedly didn't pull away, but instead stared blankly at the man before her. Her vision quickly blurred as the blood continued to flow down, yet despite that, Shoji didn't feel much pain.
Muzan wiped the blood from Shoji's face, pulling back much of his oppressive aura until that faint, heavy pressure vanished completely.
He smiled, his formerly slender, slit-like pupils returning to normal human shapes, though they remained a striking plum-red.
"Are you... here to save us?"
Watching the sudden shift in the man's aura, Shoji heard herself ask as if spellbound.
"I am not a particularly good person. I just happened to stop by this wooden hut to rest. These bandits simply brought their own demise by breaking in, but they certainly got what they deserved and died quite cleanly."
"I saved your lives simply because I intend to stay near your village for a short while. Nothing more."
Muzan squatted down, meeting the kneeling Shoji at eye level.
"What do you think?"
The man's killing intent had grown ethereal and vague, as if the bloody scene just now had merely been a dream they had dreamed.
Shoji looked back at her companions. They didn't refuse; instead, they exchanged glances and nodded at Shoji.
"...Yes, of course you can."
Shoji turned her head back and spoke.
"A wise choice."
Hearing this, Muzan curved the corners of his mouth into a faint smile.
"After you go back, not a single word about me is to be mentioned to anyone. Do you understand?"
"If any of you leak a word, I will know."
......
Dark clouds rolled, and thunder rumbled.
The thick canopy of clouds completely blocked out the sun, and the gloomy sky began to drop fine raindrops, picking up speed as they fell like tiny dancing figures.
*Rumble—*
A sudden clap of thunder tore through the clouds, unleashing roar after roar of fury. The initially fine raindrops grew massive, transforming into a torrential downpour.
Muzan had sent the women back. Although he had just said, *"I will know about any of you,"* only he knew that he was merely trying to scare them.
He didn't yet have the ability to control human thoughts.
The rain beat down upon Muzan, sliding from his hair down his neck and dripping deeper into his clothes.
Muzan felt no cold, for he was a demon.
The roaring storm filled his ears, and the gloomy surroundings lowered visibility even further because of the heavy rain.
He walked along the stony path, letting the rain cling to his eyelashes.
This torrential rain felt like a cleansing—washing away the mud, the grass, and the trees, as well as the blood, the filth, and the sins.
"Rumble—"
Lightning pierced the firmament, followed closely by the thunder.
Muzan glanced up at the sky, then lowered his gaze to look at his own palm.
Come to think of it, if it were the old him, he undoubtedly would have found such a thunderstorm bitterly cold and deeply uncomfortable... But now, Muzan felt neither the chill of the rain nor any sense of discomfort.
*Why do I feel... a little strange?*
Muzan felt as though something had changed, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
So be it. One step at a time.
He cast these strange thoughts to the back of his mind and walked toward a wooden hut tucked away in the woods. If nothing unexpected happened, this cabin should be enough for Muzan to stay in for a few days.
*Ding! Host's mission completion detected. Now generating random rewards for the host~*
*Ding-dong, ding-dong——*
*Congratulations to the host for obtaining: Demon King's Token x1*
"?"
Sitting inside the wooden hut, Muzan froze for a moment.
*A token? What is that?*
*Answering the host: The Demon King's Token allows the recipient to be branded. Anyone bearing this mark will allow the host to track their exact location no matter what, and at critical moments, it also allows the host to save their life!*
*......*
Now Muzan understood what this piece of junk was.
Isn't it just a controlling device that can be used on humans?
Once he gave this item to someone else, Muzan would know where they were and could feel their calls. While it couldn't control life, death, or memories, it was at least a decent tool for planting a spy.
Still... compared to the special abilities he had obtained previously, this trinket was practically useless.
Looking at the skull-engraved ring resting in his palm, Muzan felt a deep sense of helplessness.